Flowers, War, and Gods
by HPFanficlover99
Summary: New story! So this takes place after Blood of Olympus. Check out the first chapter for a better explanation. Will have some moments of the members of the 7 with each other and their partners but mostly focuses on a girl named Alice and her adventures at Camp Half-Blood as she figures out who her friends, family, and enemies are with the help of the Seven.
1. Chapter 1

(Hey guys! So I just started reading the Heroes of Olympus series [I know I'm late to the party]. I'm about halfway done with Blood of Olympus so some of the things may be inaccurate and I may take it down later and change it but no promises on that! Just say this was after all of that happened]

"Come on! Let's go! Get up the wall!" Just another day at Camp Half-Blood with campers climbing walls that are meant to call you and others learning how to fight with different weapons. It was still amazing to Alice that she was there, she was a Half-Blood. When she had found out at the beginning of the summer she was completely and utterly surprised but it did explain several things such as why she never really fit in anywhere else and why she was often kicked out of schools. Even though she was amazed still, Alice was terrified of the climbing wall. Sure, facing other campers in the woods during capture the flag was scary but climbing a wall that had lava coming down it? That was on an entirely new level for her. She didn't think that she would ever be able to do it.

"You going to try to head up today, Alice?" Annabeth asks with a smile. Annabeth had returned to Camp Half-Blood from studying at New Rome, the Roman counterpart to Camp Half-Blood that also had a college.

"I-I don't think so." Alice looks at her feet in shame, biting her lip in nerves. Annabeth's travels with her fiance Percy Jackson were legendary. Literally. There were songs written about their adventures. Most of them were just documented and rarely performed but that didn't mean that they weren't known of or ever heard.

"The point of this is to teach you to think on your feet. If you get hurt one of the Apollo campers will just fix you up. I can give you some pointers if you want." Annabeth was really nice to Alice, well to everybody really. Alice suspected it was because after all of the travels and discoveries she had made Annabeth wanted to make sure that everyone knew they had a place at Camp Half-Blood (or at Camp Jupiter). Kids like Alice, who were nearing their thirteenth birthday without knowing their godly parent, were especially susceptible to this. Everyone treated them super nice all the time. Well, not all the time but most of the time. A few of the Ares kids, Aphrodite kids, and Apollo kids were kind of jerks but it was mostly just normal teenage stuff taken to a demigod level.

"Maybe tomorrow. I think I'm going to see if they need any help in the pegasus stables. Thanks though." Annabeth nods and moves on to encourage the other campers who were trying. Alice walks off, knowing she isn't supposed to abandon the group, but not really caring. Nobody noticed that she had wandered off and if they did, they didn't say anything to stop her. Instead of heading to the stables, Alice heads to the edge of the woods. She stays within eyesight of the cabins but does wander into the woods a little bit. She liked talking with the satyrs and the nature spirits. Alice's thoughts wander as she walks, admiring the light flitting down between the leaves of the trees and the breeze that was blowing through the underbrush, occasionally causing small tornados of leaves.

When Alice had been found at her fourth school, her protector (a satyr named Qid) had helped her to Camp. He said that he didn't know who her godly parent was but not to worry about it. With her being twelve, she was bound to find out any day now. He had explained how Percy had made the gods promise to claim their children by the age of thirteen or when they reach Camp as some didn't reach camp until after they turned thirteen. She had seen a few claimings since she'd been at camp. One son of Ares, one son of Athena, and one daughter of Hermes. They had all been welcomed instantly by their new families and shown around. Alice, though she didn't like to talk about, had a longing for that. She had come to Camp Half-Blood from the system. She didn't have any memories of either one of her parents so it was completely unclear of who her parent could possibly be. The leaders had all said the same thing when she asked if not remembering at least her mortal parent was normal. It wasn't exactly normal but it wasn't completely unheard of so Alice tried not to focus too much on that.

Wandering along the edge of the woods, Alice felt calmer and calmer. Being at camp was great, truly, but she always worried so much about what might happen. She had come shortly after the war with Gaea and certainly after the war with the Titans but, even with this being the case, Alice couldn't help but be jumpy. Part of it may be the born in battle reflexes that she was gifted with but mostly Alice thought it was because she knew there was the chance of them getting attacked at any moment. This was a nerve wracking thing for Alice as she had spent most of her childhood, or what she could remember of it, running from monsters and being blamed for the problems they caused. Chiron had assured her that she didn't need to worry about that so long as she was within the protective walls of Camp Half Blood but Alice also knew that in five years when she turned eighteen she was going to leave, if not before that.

Noting the time, Alice heads out of the woods and towards the dining pavilion. She meets up with a few of the friends she had made and chats as they all funnel in and to their different tables. Being an unclaimed, Alice sits at the Hermes table and enjoys her food. Sometimes, in moments like these, it was easy to forget that she was at a camp where she was learning to kill monsters and survive in a world full of gods, Fates, and other myths come to life. Looking around, she couldn't help but smile at the groups around her. Each family was different but she knew there was something connecting them, something that drove them as an entire group.

Chiron calls the campers to order for announcements and reminders. He stands at the front, his horse tail swishing back and forth. "Good evening young heroes! Just as a reminder, tomorrow is our weekly capture the flag game." Cheers rise up from the campers as capture the flag was popular among every cabin. Alice, while she wasn't the bravest, did enjoy them but admittedly didn't participate much. Chiron raises a hand to quiet them, a smile across his face, "some of our Roman friends will be stopping by to play with us and will arrive tomorrow morning. I hope that we can welcome them with open arms and _not_ get into too many fights with them while they are here for the weekend. I would also like to remind everyone that there is a curfew and it must be obeyed or the harpies will punish you accordingly. Enjoy the rest of your meal!" Chiron settles back down and the volume once again rises in the hall.

The rest of the night goes without incidents and soon the sun is rising over the hill. The day flies by in a blur for everyone as preparations are made for the game of capture the flag. The Romans arrive early in the morning and are welcomed in. Strategy meetings are held as often as possible with the children of Athena leading the way for the red team and the children of Ares leading the way for the blue team. One member of the Ares cabin sticks out more than the others and that would be Taylor. Taylor didn't physically seem to fit in with his siblings who mostly had dark hair and darker features. He was a blonde with striking blue eyes but he knew his way around a sword and a hammer, the two weapons that he fought with.

Soon enough, Alice is suiting up with the rest of the Hermes cabin. Almost as soon as she arrived at camp she had made friends with Tyler, a daughter of Hephestaus who made her her own armor. Grabbing her knife and bow, she attaches them to her person and heads out, checking her arrows. She didn't really have much of a plan other than to stay out of the way. She knew it may be considered cowardly but this was her first summer at camp and she didn't fancy getting killed (technically against the rules but some older campers had told her that it had happened in the past).

Chiron makes his usual talk about the rules and then dismisses them to their respective bases. Alice stands towards the back of the group and only half listens until her name is called by Taylor. She looks up and meets his eyes, asking for him to repeat himself. He simply smiles and says "I said that I want you up in a tree, about a quarter of a mile away from base. You're going to use your bow to take out the enemy, understand? Don't get caught though. There'll be a few others with you. Remember, we're going against Apollo but that doesn't mean anything." She gulps and nods, her palms beginning to sweat as they're dismissed. She jogs, following the few others with bows, and spreads out with them. With practiced ease, Alice climbs up one of the trees and settles among the branches and leaves. She notches an arrow and waits for the horn to blow. A minute later, she hears it and her heartbeat picks up.

"Relax Alice, you can do this." Her emerald eyes scan the horizon and she waits for the slightest of moves. After a couple of minutes, she begins to relax and think that no one is coming her way. Then she hears it.

Hushed whispers among the underbrush. Scanning the underbrush, she sees it. The slightest of movements among the bushes. _They're using some sort of cloaking device _she realizes. Taking a deep breath, she draws her bow back and takes aim. Releasing the breath she let the arrow fly. It immediately finds it target as a demigod falls and their camouflage fails them. Alice notches another arrow that she lets fly into the space next to the fallen demigod (a child of Athena named Uri). Alice's eyes barely catch the movement of a third demigod and she, without thinking, drops out of the tree and hides in the tall brush. She knew that she had hit Uri and nicked a second demigod but still wasn't sure of who the second and third one were. Taking off towards their base, her heart was thrumming in her chest. Her mind was screaming at her to turn around and attack the three demigods.

Groaning, Alice decided to listen to her instincts for the first time in a long time. She ran at a diagonal, knowing that the three wouldn't stop for long if at all. She had to stop after a few minutes and catch her breath. She chose to stop and kneel by a tree, touching its roots. Closing her eyes, Alice's head was suddenly filled with a vision and voices that she couldn't recognize.

"I'm fine! She just nicked me. It's you I'm worried about. Your arm is bleeding pretty heavily."

"I told you I'm fine!" Alice recognized that voice. It was Uri, the demigod that she had hit with her first arrow. "Stop worrying about me Melinda! I don't know how it is in _Rome_ but here, we keep on fighting through the pain!"

"Will you two stop fighting? Gods! Someone's going to hear you!" Alice opens her eyes and gasps. She knew exactly who they were and exactly where they were. They were getting way too close to the flag for comfort. Biting her lip, Alice analyzes her options. She could either stay right where she was, climb the tree she was kneeling by and try to pick them off, run ahead and let the guards of their flag know, _or_ she could try and take them out by herself. Part of her mind yelled at her to run and take them out while another yelled at her stay where she was and hide, preferably in a hole that she would dig for herself. Decisions, decisions.

(Lemme know what you think!)


	2. Chapter 2

Alice knew it was stupid and potentially suicidal but she had decided to listen to the first thought in her mind. Annabeth was always lecturing them on trusting their instincts and sharing stories about how it had saved her life a few times in the war against Gaea. It was honestly kind of annoying but she figured Annabeth knew what she was talking about, at least to a point. Alice pulled back an arrow in her bow and ran through the woods, keeping low to the ground. She didn't want to charge in and try to save the day but she figured that she could at least take down Uri, the demigod she had hurt and give their guards more of a chance. She didn't know why the other archers they had set up weren't reacting to the three, especially now that Uri was just out in the open.

As Alice runs, staying light on her feet like they were taught, the voices of the three arguing demigods gets louder. Biting her lip, she pokes her head out from between the branches of a large fruit bearing bush. She sees them crouching down, looking at where her team's defenses were set up. _Oh great, they're so close that they can see it. If only we had some sort of cover, like tall sunflowers to cover._ Suddenly the ground around their strong hold erupts and sunflowers burst forth. The three are stunned and confused so Alice makes her move. She moves behind them, firing off arrow after arrow. Uri is immediately taken down as one strikes him in the leg. He cries out in pain and moves for cover, dragging himself across the dirt. Alice doesn't think as she keeps her distance, trying to find an open space. Unfortunately his two companions, Melinda and Westley, are able to deflect them and find cover. Melinda was a child of Venus but tended to have a rational head compared to her Aphrodite counterparts (though they had gotten more grounded and less full of themselves since Gaea). Westley was a child of Iris who jumped between the Greek and Roman camps often, delivering messages for people and just exploring the two different camps. The two of them fought with swords and were quick on their feet.

Alice's heart feels like its in her throat but she decides not to give up, drawing courage from the nymphs around her who could be seen watching from their homes. As Alice reaches back to fire again, her heart drops to her feet as she realizes she's on her last arrow. Firing it, Alice puts her bow away and pulls out her knife. She knew she must look ridiculous but she also knew that she had to stall. Their advance team would be well on their way to getting the other team's flag by now so she just had to stall until they were able to pass the river with it in hand.

Westley, a small grin on his face, steps out with Melinda with his sword in hand. He spins it in his hand and advances on the younger girl. "So, you've decided to tag along and actually participate this time?" Iris and Hermes cabins had been paired up the last time they had played so Westley knew that she didn't really participate much and preferred to just sit back and let others fight it out.

"Wait, _this_ is the one who doesn't do anything to help her team normally?" Melinda asks for clarification, smirking at the younger girl. Both of them had been at their respective camps for three years, shown by the marks on Melinda's arm and the beads around Westley's neck.

"Yup but I guess there's a first time for everything. I'll go a little bit easy on you but, you see, we really need to get that flag." Westley says, advancing on the younger girl who was backing up in fear. _I just need to get them further away._ Alice knew that this is what she needed to do but she couldn't do that by running away. _I just need to stay alive for two minutes, that's it._

"Well, you'll have to go through me first." Alice curses herself as her voice shakes, betraying how scared she really was to fight the older campers. She sizes the two of them up, trying to find any weaknesses and trying to recall what she'd been taught in her fighting classes when it came to taking on two opponents at the same time. Unfortunately, her brain was coming up with absolutely nothing. Of course now was the moment her brain chose to go on hiatus!

The two older campers roll their eyes, finding her bravery enduring and cute. They knew they weren't the best campers their camps had ever seen but they certainly weren't the worst and could hold their own, especially against a new camper that barely participated when it came to anything that included violence or really challenging herself. Westley takes the first jab at her, aiming to bring his sword down and cut her arm but Alice, still going off of pure instinct, raises her sword and takes the blow, planting her foot behind her to have more momentum forward. Westley gives her a sly grin and tries to sweep her legs but Alice jumps back and takes up her fighting stance again. The two go back and forth for a while, Westley constantly advancing and Alice backing up. Melinda just watches them for a bit before rolling her eyes and deciding to head towards the flag by herself.

Alice sees the older girl turn to run and yells, thrusting her hand out "no!" Immediately rose vines come up and wrap themselves around Melinda's ankles, pulling her down. Melinda falls on her face and screams in pain as the thorns dig into her ankle. Westley turns his head and his jaw drops as he sees what happened.

"Ho-" Alice doesn't let him finish and takes a swing at him which he blocks at the last second. "How did you do that?"

"I have no idea!" Alice, with a new found surge of confidence, advances on him and pushes him further back. She moves lightly on her feet and doesn't stop moving when he gets in a cut on her bicep. Westley's feet get closer and closer to the vines and Alice gets an idea. If she did it once, why couldn't she do it again? She wills the vines to spread out and capture him as well. As soon as she does, it works. His ankles are immediately grabbed by the roses and he's tangled up with his comrade. "Sorry!" She wills them to continue growing until they're both trapped by the thorny plants. She runs over to Uri and bites her lip, he had calmed the bleeding but wasn't going to be in any shape to get up so she decided to just leave him there.

Now running on a high and unsure of where her new powers had come from, Alice takes off running in the direction of the red team's stronghold. Her heart was pounding as she made her way through the woods of Camp. It was like the way had been cleared for her. There were no monsters in her way and no other demigods to oppose her but she still knew that she was heading in the right direction. Soon enough, her ears were met with the sound of fighting from her left but as she leaned down to take cover, she closed her eyes and connected with the roots of a tree. Off to the right was the real stronghold of the red team. They had two guards, two children of Apollo who were armed with their usual bows. She could take them down if she managed to sneak up on them. Alice knew that she could, and probably should, go and tell someone else of what she knew but didn't want to risk hurting their efforts so she took off towards the right, looking in the trees for any other members of the Apollo cabin that may be hiding in the trees or the underbrush, just waiting to pick off members from the other team. Thankfully she didn't run into anyone else until she reached the outskirts of the red team's stronghold. The two children of Athena patrolled, their bows partially drawn back and ready to let the arrows fly at a moment's notice. On top of Zeus' Fist stood their flag, waving in the gentle breeze.

Alice examines the ground, crouching as low as possible to it and looking for any kind of disruptions. The Athena kids and the Hephaestus kids working together almost surely meant that land mines or trip wires had been placed to capture or hurt anyone who came close. She had to tread even more carefully from now on. Deciding to push her luck for a third time, Alice reaches and touches the soft grass of the forest floor beneath her and closes her eyes. She could sense four traps, two of them trip wires set between a pair of trees, and two more being set off by pressure plates. If she could navigate around them, she could be home free. Opening her eyes and standing up a little bit more, she sneaks forward to Zeus' Fist. She tosses a rock to one side, an old trick but a good one as it made the two guards move closer and turn their backs. Using some old skills that she still kept in her back pocket, Alice quickly scales up the difficult rock formation, avoiding some of the old holes that were filled with old poisons and such caused by the battle with Luke and his army from the War of the Titans. She reached the top fairly easily and brought the flag down. Her hands shook with excitement, stress, and nerves. It wasn't easy for her to do this but for some reason, today felt different than the others.

After taking down the flag, Alice cursed herself as the Athenian children looked up and noticed that their flag was no longer there. They aimed their bows at the top of the rock and called out to her, "whoever you are come down while you still can! We won't hurt you, too bad." Alice crouched in the center of the rocks, determined to stay hidden while she thought through a plan. "We're going to count to five and then come up!" _Oh great. _Alice silently cursed herself, trying to think through this as quickly as possible. She just needed the chance to slip away, that's it. _Couldn't they get distracted for a split second more? Something! Anything! A wild dog or something? _

Her prayers were sort of answered as a pack of wild hellhounds made their presence known to the campers. The two Athenians turned toward the sound of the growling while Alice took the chance to quickly scale down the rock. She shoved the flag in between her breast plate and held up her knife as the hellhounds came in to view. To see a pack was rare, to see a pack in the woods at Camp Half Blood? Even stranger. Someone had to have invited them in to camp. The three campers didn't focus on this but instead focused on the four hellhounds that were growling in front of them. They stood in a sort of formation, three up front and one standing way in the back. The three up front were older than the one in the back as it was smaller and didn't seem to want to be there. Immediately, the two Athenian demigods set about taking care of them and it seemed Alice was forgotten. She had the chance to slip away. _But could you deal with them being killed, even if you won? _Cursing herself for even thinking about abandoning them, she sets about killing one of them.

She jumps into the fight, jabbing and trying to avoid their claws as much as possible. "There there, nice doggy." The hellhound seems to pause before snarling and pouncing on her. With a less than courageous squeal, Alice falls on her back and stabs wildly in the air as the animal comes on top of her. It disintegrates and Alice gets a moment of pride before she hears the scream of one of the Athenians. She looks over and finds him pinned beneath it. She thrusts her hand out, calling on the vines that she knew lurked near by. She wraps the animal in them and stabs it with her celestial bronze blade, watching as it disintegrates into nothingness. The second son of Athena had already killed his hellhound and now turned to the younger hellhound, his bow raised. The hellhound cowers in fear and looked at Alice with its dark eyes, whimpering and calling out to her. "Wait!" Alice yells out and wraps the demigod's bow in vines, running to the hellhound. "You.. You can shadow travel me. Prove your worth. Shadow travel me to the bank of the river. The dog seems to understand her and bows its head, letting her climb on its back.

The two children of Athena yell at her, calling her crazy while they try to untangle themselves from the vines she had wrapped them in. With her heart racing Alice chooses to ignore them and climbs on top of the beast. Suddenly she is jerked into the shadows as the animal runs straight for the shadow of an old oak that lived near Zeus' Fist. When she opens her eyes and finally readjusts, she finds herself on the banks of the river. Chiron raises his bow as soon as the hellhound emerges from the shadows and then hesitates to fire, his face displaying his confusion. Without waiting for him to decide what to do, Alice pulls out the red flag and sprints across the river, holding it high. The sounds of fighting that were around her when she came out of the shadows, die down almost immediately as she's stared at by everyone present. It had seemed that the red team had gotten the blue flag and was making their way to the river but, with the help of her new sidekick, Alice had won.

Chiron, after taking a moment to try and process what had just happened, blows his horn and announces "the Blue Team has won!" Alice can't help but smile as a cheer raises from the blue team and she looks at the hellhound, beckoning it forward. It slowly comes forward, its head bowed in submission to her. Alice puts her blade away and gently pets it, thanking it for its service to her. Chiron cantors over to her with a confused look on his face. On his back was Uri whose leg was in decent shape, all things considering. "It appears you and I have much to talk about Alice. Go and see the medics and then I want you to meet me at the Big House." With that, Chiron cantors off and doesn't say another word. Even though Alice had won the day for her team, she couldn't help but think that she was screwed.

(Thank you for your reviews! Not all of the chapters will be this long but I am aiming to keep them all 1,500+ words. Let me know what you think please!)


	3. Chapter 3

After seeing the medics and being cleared to go, Alice slowly made her way to the Big House. She had only been there once before when she had first arrived as she wasn't a trouble maker or a very good camper. Her new trusty sidekick followed her everywhere, keeping by her side at all times. Alice made it very clear that no one was to hurt her hellhound otherwise they would get wrapped in vines quicker than they could think. As she climbed the few steps up on to the Big House porch, her heart felt heavier and heavier with each step. She knocked on the front door and it was immediately opened by Grover, a satyr whom Alice had only seen a few times.

"Hey!" Grover's smile falters slightly as he sees her hellhound friend standing behind her but he pushes through his obvious fear. "C-come on in! We're gathered in the other room." He leads her to another room where Katie Gardner, the head of the Demeter cabin, Chiron, Annabeth, Grover, and Mr. D (aka Dionysus who was still assigned to helping lead Camp Half-Blood) were sitting around the ping pong table. Mr. D was flipping through a wine magazine while Chiron, Katie, and Annabeth quietly chatted away in one corner until Grover made their presence known. Alice's palms were sweaty and she couldn't stop herself from picking at her nails. It was an old, nasty nervous habit of hers that she didn't do often. Her hellhound (whom she had yet to name) gently nuzzled her hands and let her pet him to get rid of her nervous energy.

"So Alice, can you explain to us what happened tonight?" Chiron asks, leaning back in his magical wheelchair. Alice guessed it was because it was more comfortable to talk to campers like this, especially when they were in trouble.

"Ye-yeah, sure." And so Alice recounted the events of the game of capture the flag. Everyone in the room, minus Mr. D, listened intently and didn't even stop her to ask for clarification. As Alice talks, she finds it difficult to make eye contact with anyone and her eyes flit between the floor and Seymour who dozing from his spot on the wall. "And that's when the game ended and you asked me to come here Chiron." Chiron nods and strokes his beard, a look of serious concentration on his face.

"So, you said that the hellhounds appeared when my brothers found you. Did you hear anything? Think anything? Any feelings?" Annabeth asks, clearly concerned about this.

"Well, I did wish for a little more time. A distraction, a wild animal, something that would draw their attention. I never wished- I mean, I didn't _call_ for hellhounds exactly. They just kind of… appeared." Alice looks at her new hellhound friend who was sitting obidently to her side. She could feel how tired he was from their shadow travel. "Go ahead and sleep, nothing's going to happen to you. Go on." The hellhound looks up at her with his big, dark eyes and flopped on the ground which made the entire house shake briefly but a moment later and he was dozing on the floor.

"You must have accidentally done it. Called them from where though?" Annabeth asks, looking to Chiron for an answer.

"With this one being so young, the best guess would be the Underworld itself." Chiron says, his tone very controlled. Alice takes a step in front of her new companion, determined to protect him. "Why did you protect this one in particular?"

Alice looks down at the animal and can't decide how to answer it. "I don't know to be honest. I just… He looked at me and I knew that he didn't want to attack, he didn't want to hurt us. It was like he was sent her and the others had come on accident." She looks around the room and gulps when she sees their judgemental expression. "I just mean, that- I don't really know how to describe it."

"We're not judging you Alice. We're just trying to figure out what is going on." Annabeth reassures her. "We've only ever heard of one friendly hellhound and that's Mrs. O'Leary. It's just hard to believe that you've suddenly found another one."

"I-I get that, I do. Really. It's just… well.." Alice struggles to find the words, her heart beating so loud its hard to think straight. "I just, feel like he is." _Gods that's a lame excuse!_ Chiron looks between Alice and the hellhound, his eyes sharp and calculating.

"I see no reason why we can not allow you to keep this hellhound around as a pet. You have shown control over him so far. Just know that whatever he does, it falls on you. You should also name him if you wish to keep him and put him in a collar."

Alice can't help the smile that breaks out on her face at hearing this. "I promise you that I'll name him as soon as I can. Thank you, thank you so much. You won't regret this!"

"I hope not." Chiron says with a small smile. "Now comes the discussion of your parentage. Katie? What do you think?" The focus shifts to the daughter of Demeter who had been sitting back, watching the younger camper.

"I don't think she's my sister. Obviously, she has some of the same gifts as we do but… there's something different about this. We normally grow wheat fields and fruit trees whereas she grew sunflowers and rose vines. That's not like us. She also summoned hellhounds on accident. It is possible but.. I don't think it's right." Katie asks, her tone very calm and even. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything, just sharing her opinion. Chiron nods and strokes his beard, thinking.

"Well, there is one goddess we haven't really talked about just yet." Annabeth says, sitting up. "She doesn't have many kids. She doesn't get out much to have any. She's got a connection with hellhounds _and_ flowers."

"I believe we should wait until after tonight's campfire. We have heard the story and I believe Katie is right. Come, let's all go to the campfire. We can talk about this tomorrow. Remember what I said Alice. The hellhound is your responsibility. Do not make me regret my decision." Chiron's tone holds a finality to it as he stares at the girl. Alice nods and gently wakes up her hellhound, walking out with him. As soon as the door shuts behind her, she lets out a breath she didn't know that she had been holding. Her hellhound looks up at her, gently nudging her as if to say _don't worry! You're not alone! _

She gives him a smile and a pat on the head, "I've always wanted a dog. Come on, let's go and try not to freak out any campers." The unlikely pair walks toward the campfire where the celebration of the blue team's victory was in full swing. Demigods move out of the way as she approaches, all of them eyeing her hellhound and whispering about the events of the day. Alice's ears turn pink as she walks and takes a seat that was unoccupied. She forces herself to not look around and appear nervous, instead grabbing a s'more from the plate and cooking it over the fire. "Alright, let's see about a name for you." She gives it some thought before throwing a few ideas out. "Ghuzuag? Nagg? Aggord? Khaus?" At the last name, his tail wags and he gives her a soft bark of approval. "Alright, Khaus it is."

"That's quite the friend you made today." Alice looks up and her eyes meet the dark eyes of Nico di Angelo. "It isn't very often that people who aren't my siblings make friends with hellhounds." Nico lets Khaus sniff his hand before petting the creature.

"Um, yeah. I guess I just got lucky." Alice lets out an awkward laugh, shifting in her seat.

"You also scratched up some campers pretty bad with those vines you created." Will Solace, a son of Apollo who also happens to be Nico's boyfriend, says with a smile. There was a smile playing on his lips as if he approved of what she had done.

"Thanks, I think?"

"Did you know you could do that before today?" Nico asks, sitting down. His stygian iron sword appears to glow a dark purple in the light of the bright fire. She couldn't help but wonder what the story was behind his sword but figured now was not the best time to ask about it.

"No, I did it on accident at first. After that, I just kind of prayed that it worked."

"Well, whoever you prayed to certainly did help you. Have you talked to Katie? Maybe you're a daughter of Demeter!" Will offers helpfully, giving her an encouraging smile. Well as encouraging as he can when he was being sniffed by a hellhound.

"No, that's not right." Nico's dark eyes watch the younger girl, analyzing her every movement and choice of words. Alice shifts uncomfortably in her seat, not able to meet his eyes for more than fifteen seconds at a time. "It's almost as if- no, that can't be right."

Will rolls his eyes at his boyfriend's antics. "Sorry about him. He's not exactly known for his kind and gentle demeanor. He does mean well though." Alice can't help but notice that Nico's ears turn slightly pink in the light of the fire and his hand that was gripping his sword, briefly gripped it slightly tighter. "Can you pass me a marshmallow Alice?" Alice obliges and passes him the bag of them with a small smile. Khaus sniffs them and licks his lips as they pass in front of him. "Thanks! So, who do you think your parent is?"

"I don't really know. I mean, Hades doesn't seem all that likely as neither child of Hades, that I know of, can control flowers in addition to attracting hellhounds." Alice looks down at her lap and picks at the dried marshmallow that sits there. She sucks it off and licks her lips, enjoying the sweet treat.

"Hey Alice! Come here!" Taylor calls to her from his group of siblings, a smile on his face. Alice looks between Khaus and Nico, silently asking if she can leave him there.

"We'll take good care of him, don't worry." Will gives her a smile, trying to seem courageous around the hound from hell. Alice thanks him and walks over to Taylor, nervously pulling at her fingers.

"Hey Taylor, what's up?"

"I just wanted to say really good job. We couldn't have won without you. Our advance team was taken down almost immediately by traps but you… Well you took out two hellhounds and five guys all by yourself? That's pretty badass." Alice's face flushes and her heart seems to skip a beat. Taylor's words were kind and seemed genuine but his siblings were all looking at her as if they didn't believe she had really done it all.

"Well, strictly speaking, I wasn't alone with the hellhounds. And I really just got lucky when it came to Uri. Melinda and -"

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You did a good job. Spotting them in their camouflage when they'd already taken out most of our archers? That's damn good I'd say. If you didn't have a hellhound for a new pet, I'd welcome you to our cabin but I promise you that we won't forget what you did tonight. You're welcome to fight alongside us any day." Taylor gives her a serious nod and looks around at his siblings, waiting for anyone of them to challenge him. When no one does, he stands up and whistles to get everyone's attention. "Let's hear it for Alice Jones and her hellhound-" he looks at her for the name of the animal.

"Khaus" Alice provides, her heart racing and her face completely flushed.

"Khaus! May the gods smile down on her first victory!" The entire camp breaks into a cheer for her, each raising whatever cups they were holding. There's a slight pause as she's bathed in a purple light and a lily appears over her head before fading into a pomegranate.

"Hail! Alice Jones, daughter of Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld and the lady of Springtime!" Chiron announces which is echoed by the rest of the camp before the fall back into their usual chatter and music. Alice sees him motion to her and she hurries to dodge between the crowds of people, making her way over to him. "Well it would appear that clears up who your mother is."

"But not _how_ Persephone is her mother." Chiron himself jumps slightly as Nico seems to appear out of nowhere (which was completely possible). "Sorry. When were you born Alice?"

"I was born November 22 which would mean…" Alice trails off, the thought impossible.

"You were born in the Underworld" Nico finishes for his new step-sister.


	4. Chapter 4

Now, let's get something straight. For Persephone to have a child isn't strictly forbidden, she isn't a maiden goddess or anything. It was just extremely rare as she didn't cheat on her husband as much as the other goddess who were married had a tendency to do (i.e. Aphrodite cheating on Hephaestus with Ares for a few millennia and cheating on both of them with mortals to create her demigod children on earth). Persephone had only a few known children and they didn't typically survive past infancy due to Hades' jealous rages. For Alice to have been conceived in March and born in November (she had come early) was very unheard of, especially since it meant that she had somehow survived being born in the Underworld. This is why the following day, she had a meeting with Annabeth and Chiron to discuss where she would be living and how they would proceed.

After breakfast, which she sat through with Nico, Alice makes her way to the Big House. Khaus dutifully follows her to the front porch where Annabeth and Chiron were waiting for her. Her heart was racing and she didn't know what to expect. She knew they weren't going to kick her out, they really had no right to as she hadn't technically done anything wrong. Her existence was just as bad as other demigods created out of wedlock (so, all of them). Chiron had cut their conversation short the night before and had told her that he needed time to think about how to proceed, something Alice completely understood. Annabeth gives her a friendly smile and nod as she watched the younger girl approach. Nico was trailing behind his step sister. The two had talked as they walked to their respective cabins and he had told her that he wasn't going to abandon her; mostly out of curiosity Alice speculated but she was grateful for the support anyway.

"Good morning Ms. Jones." Chiron says politely, his hands resting comfortably on his sides.

"M-morning Chiron. Annabeth."

"So, since you've been claimed we need to talk about where you're going to live. Obviously Persephone doesn't currently have a cabin and I'll be honest, she wasn't going to for a while as she's a minor goddess who hasn't had children in… Well a while." Annabeth gives her a tight smile and continues on, "we'll have to move that up obviously. I've drawn up some designs but I would love to have your input on this. It'll be where you'll be living and I don't know if it'll be used by anyone else." She points to some drawings that were laid out on a table, held down by Annabeth's knife and a few random objects such as a stapler and a tape dispenser. "Let me know what you think. I want to get started on it right away, today if possible. A few of the Hephaestus kids have agreed to pitch in."

Alice leans over the designs and moves a few around. She liked elements from most of them, some of them just felt wrong. She pulls a paper from the side and places it on top. It was a simpler design than most but it felt right to Alice. "I like this one the most I think. What kind of tree was that in the middle?"

"A pomegranate, one of your mother's symbols. It would change with the seasons to show when she was in the Underworld and when she was on the surface." The building design was quite simple. Made out of dark purple stones, it was a traditional design. There was a tree sprouting in the middle with the roof being built around it. Flowers were sketched in around the building with boxes of mint in the windows. There was an inside which held an ornate fireplace and a large statue of Persephone was kneeling down, as she had often been depicted in paintings and statues since the beginning of time. Alice could also picture it in fall and winter where it would show her mother's transition and the transition of the seasons. Even in just drawing form, Alice felt like this was the right design to go with. "Is that the one you want to go with?"

"Yeah, it is. I mean, if that's alright with you. You're the architect."

"I think that it's perfect. Even with the crew that we have it'll take a couple of weeks to even get the ground broken on it. The stone will have to be special ordered, maybe Hermes can help us with that. He's been quite helpful so far. I think it has to do with the fact that his own cabin has undergone some renovations over the past few years. I'll go ahead and get started right away." Annabeth grabs her knife, sheathes it and then grabs the plans and disappears to go and get started.

"While your cabin is being worked on you have a few choices Alice. You can stay in the Hermes cabin or you can stay here in the Big House." Chiron offers, watching her reaction.

"I think I'll just stay in the Hermes cabin if that's alright." Chiron nods and dismisses the two for now, telling her that he would send for her if he had anymore thoughts. Nico and Alice walk away with Kraus standing between them. Alice didn't really know what to think of this whole process. It was weird being the only child of Persephone but she couldn't help but wonder if that's how campers like Percy or Nico had felt when they found out they were the only children of their dad's. Okay, technically Percy had a brother but Tyson was different.

"I'm going to Camp Jupiter tonight to visit Hazel and Frank. I'm traveling with the Roman demigods. If you need me I'm an Iris message away." Nico says to break up the silence. Looking over at the boy she couldn't help but wonder if he felt as awkward as she did about this whole situation.

"Yeah, not a problem.. Listen, I don't expect you to suddenly start treating me like family or anything. I just mean that, I appreciate you being so nice about all of this but… It's not like we're actually related by blood or anything. Not in anyway that matters."

"I know but… I know how hard it is to fit in as a child of the King of the Underworld, I can't imagine how it is to be the Queen of the Underworld's daughter. I didn't want you to feel alone." Nico shifts in his place, his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. From what Alice knew of Nico, he had just begun to open up about the way he felt about certain things and listening to others so she felt slightly honored that he was opening up like this to her and helping her through this.

"Th-thank you. I should get going, Khaus needs to go for a walk in the woods. I want to get him as familiar with Camp as possible. If I don't see you before you go… Safe travels." Nico nods and walks to his cabin, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Alice watches him walk away before she turns to Khaus who was now sitting patiently, waiting for her order. "Come on you. Let's go for a walk." Khaus jumps up, his tail wagging and runs ahead to the woods. Alice follows him and keeps an eye on him as he runs between the trees, barking and trying to play with a butterfly that was flying through the air. The night before she had made him a collar out of some chord that was given to her by Hermes kids.

Alice walks through the trees, Khaus keeping up with her even as he jumps around and explores some of the woods. She could feel the spirits in the woods keeping their distance and could swear she could hear some of them whispering about her and her dog. The thing was, she didn't care all that much. Ever since finding out who her mom was and exploring some of her gifts, she'd felt more confident. More sure of herself. Sure, she still wasn't one to volunteer to throw herself right into battle but she at least knew she could hold her own. It was like everything was sort of falling into place for her. Now she just had to hang on and keep trying to learn. _Shouldn't be too hard. _

"So, its true. Chiron's letting you stay." Alice looks up as she hears Taylor's voice, a small nervous smiling coming across her lips.

"Yeah, why wouldn't he?" Taylor shrugs, holding his hammer up on his shoulder. Standing at a little under six feet tall, Taylor practically towered over Alice's petite frame. Unlike other tall men though, his presence wasn't scary. It was more reassuring which was double weird considering who his dad was.

"Just considering who your mom turned out to be, you befriending a hellhound. People weren't sure how he was going to respond."

"Oh… Well he's letting me stay. They've even moved up the building schedule for my mom's cabin." Taylor joins her in her walk, his eyes occasionally going over to Khaus as if he expected him to turn and start trying to kill him.

"I'm going to be blunt with you for a minute. People are concerned that you're going to be as weird and moody as your mom."

Alice looks at the ground and fiddles with her hands, "what… What do you think?"

"What do I think? I think people here put too much pressure on us based on our parents. I mean, look at me and my dad. Do I seem like I'm going to try to kill you any time soon?"

"N-no, course not. But… You could if you wanted to."

"Well yeah. I could. Probably. But that doesn't mean that I constantly want to. I think it's something my siblings often forget. Just because you can fight doesn't mean that you always should." Alice couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"So, you're a god of war but.. With brains?" Taylor, thankfully, chuckles and nods along with her comment. "Well I'm sure your mom is thrilled by that." Taylor stops laughing and readjusts his hammer, his face suddenly solemn. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright. You didn't know. My mom she, well she died a few years ago. She was a soldier in the US Army and had been deployed. She was a truck driver."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I was only trying to joke around." Taylor looks at her and gives her a tight smile, shaking his head and waving it off. "So, do you have any other family?"

"I do actually. I have an aunt and uncle and a pair of cousins. They're my legal guardians but in my mom's will she made it so I get to stay at Camp the entire year or go to school, my choice." Taylor shrugs and runs his free hand through his hair. Alice couldn't help but wish her hair was lighter like his. She liked the way that the light filtered through it and made it appear as if it were glowing. Her's was as black as night (Snow White reference anyone?) and was cut short. She had always kept it short, meant for less maintenance that way.

"Well that was pretty cool of her. Do most parents of demigods know that their kid is… Different?"

"Some do, I would say most do. Some don't. Piper Mclean's dad has no idea. Somehow his memory was erased after he was kidnapped by the giants." Taylor gives a shrug as if this was perfectly normal and didn't really matter. "Percy Jackson's mom can see through the Mist which is pretty rare for a normal mortal."

"The Mist… That white stuff that the Hecate kids can control?"

Taylor nods and shifts his hammer to one side, "yup. That's it. It protects the mortals from seeing things they probably don't want to see or stuff they don't need to see. I mean, can you imagine if-" Taylor's next sentence is cut off by Khaus barking and growling to alert them. Both young heroes turn and see a zombie was standing in front of them. "Is that what I think it is?"

"A dead person come back? Um, yeah. And why is it wearing a helmet?" The zombie was carrying a regular hammer and was wearing a construction helmet that had a massive hole through the middle of it. "Did Nico summon it?"

"I don't think so. He's back in his cabin." Taylor steps forward and charges it, swinging at it with his hammer. The zombie immeidately falls apart but another appears to take its place. Taylor makes short work of it with the help of Khaus who jumped in and ripped off its arm. Suddenly Alice feels a strong pressure in her temples.

"W-wait!" Taylor freezes in killing a third and looks at her, "I think they're here for… Me. From my mom."

"What?"

"I think my mom sent them to help build the cabin… I.. I think? Khaus, go and get Nico." The dog drops his dismembered arm and disappears into the shadows, reappearing with Nico a moment later.

Nico looks at the zombie and frowns, "I didn't do that."

"I think my mom sent them. Is that even possible?"

"I don't see why not. She is the Queen of the underworld." Nico gives a small shrug and looks intently at the zombie, nodding. "You're right. They're here to help with the construction project. Your new cabin?"

"Okay… Well I guess let's show them where they'll be working?"


End file.
